Prince Eugene Matteo of Lusignan styled himself as d’Armenia. He escaped Cyprus for Padua, Naples, then Sicily to avoid the Venetians who were assassinating his family.
He is my 11 x great-grandfather.
Eugene d’Armenia was born in 1466 in Cyprus. He was the illegitimate son of James II of Cyprus (The Bastard) and a woman identified as N Flatro1 or de Flètre2. He was also known as Pietro de Armenia3. The Italianate form of his surname is possibly a matter of translation.
Titles
His father, King James II, left a note in his will stating that if his legitimate daughter died without children, Eugene would inherit the throne of Cyprus. This makes Eugene the Titular King of Cyprus, Jerusalem, Armenia, and Titular Prince of Antioch, Tripoli and Galilee1.
Family
He married Paola Mazzara of Sicily. It is not clear when they got married because some sources claim they married in 1508, while others claim he died in 1508. Together they had 5 children1:
- James Antonio
- Filippe
- Gio Leonardo
- Chiara
- Perna
Eugene also had 3 illegitimate children from an unknown mother1:
- Canon Pietro d’Armanin
- Ferdinand d’Armanin
- Giovanna Ventura d’Armanin
He had an eighth child, also illegitimate, from a woman identified as Agnes N1:
- Lucia d’Armenia
It is not known why 3 of the illegitimate children had a different surname.
Notable events
As soon as his father died, possibly assassinated by the Venetians, Eugene fled Cyprus and ended up in Malta, by way of Padua and Sicily. Since his father has been lavishly treated by the Grand Master of the Knights of St John4, it’s possible Malta was a safe and friendly haven for him
Eugene styled himself as d’Armenia1 but we don’t know why. Given the Venetians’ prosecution of his family, it is reasonable to assume he wanted to avoid attention. He was not the first person to do so as there are d’Armenias in recorded Maltese history dating back to the 12th century.
Since his grandfather was King of Armenia, it is likely this is the reason for his new family name.
Ship captain
Eugene captained a ship belonging to Giovanni di Nava, the Lord of the castle in Fort St Angelo. He also had ships of his own1. On Tuersday, 11 October 1470, he was honoured by the Grand Master of the Order of St John for safe conduct3.
Historian G.F. Abela writes that in 1508, Pietro was offered the post of keeper of the City by King Ferdinand for his merits and service. He was also offered the garden and territory of Baccari known as il-Gorghenti (Girgenti today) and the ‘Stagno di San Giorgio’ or St George’s Pond3.
I dispute this because King Ferdinand was already dead in 1508 but it is not clear from my sources whether:
- Abela got the King’s name wrong.
- Abela got the date wrong.
- The whole incident never happened.
Assuming it did, Eugene never enjoyed these lands because he died in battle. His first-born son, James Antonio, inherited these privileges3.
Death
Eugene died in 1508, or 1536, fighting the Ottoman Empire in a naval battle off the Barbary Coast, present day North Africa.
It is not known where his last resting place is.
Lineage
He is my 11 x great-grandfather.
References
- The Royal Descendants of de Lusignan and the Barony of Baccari and Benwarrad; Malta Libro d’Oro; Retrieved 2018-04-23[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
- Cyprus; Medieval Lands; Charles Crawley; (Retrieved 2018-10-01[↩]
- Melita Historica Vol III, No 2; Carmel Cassar; The Malta Historical Society; 1981; page 149[↩][↩][↩][↩]
- A History of Cyprus; Sir George Francis Hill; Cambridge University Press; 2010-11[↩]
